236 THE COMMERCIAL SEA FISHES OF 



fessor Hceckel observed these filaments present in the eggs 

 of gar-fish, B clone ; saury, Scombresox ; half-beak, Hemi- 

 ramphusy and flying-fishes, Exoccetus ; while Ryder has 

 remarked on having found similar filaments in one form of 

 Atherinidce, the Chirostoma notata, but in such they are 

 only four in number, and situated close together. 



Geographical distribution. Temperate and tropical seas ; 

 some species resident in fresh waters. 



i. Gar-pike (Belone vulgaris). 



Names. Sword-fish, green-ben or green-bane, Scotland ; 

 green-bone or green-back, guard- fish, gar-pike, horn-fish, 

 needle-fish or long-nose, gore-bill, sea-needle, mackerel-guide, 

 which name it has received due to its coming towards shore 

 a little prior to the appearance of the mackerel. Gerrick, 

 Cornwall. Horn-kecke (Palsgrave). Whaup-fish. In Ire- 

 land, horn-eel (Belfast Bay) ; mackerel-scout (Strangford 

 Lough) ; spear ling (Portrush) ; Spanish-mackerel, according 

 to Nimmo, at Roundstone. Its snout is termed gore-bone 

 in some places. 



B. xii., D. 18-20, V. 6, A. 22-23, Vert -|f. 



Length of head 3^ to 4 ; of caudal fin 7^ ; height of 

 body, 15 to 1 6 in the total length. Eyes. Large, 2^ to 2\ 

 diameters in the postorbital portion of the head, 6 to 7 

 diameters from the end of the upper jaw, and i diameters 

 apart. Maxillaries concealed by the preorbital. Upper 

 jaw not so long as the lower, which latter has a soft termi- 

 nation. Teeth. Small, in some examples a small oval 

 patch is present on the vomer, in others it is absent. Fins. 

 The anterior dorsal rays are elevated, forming a lobe, 

 while the posterior ones are of about the same length and 

 form, terminating opposite the anal ones, which is some 



